Small Bussinesses Not Utilising Social Media Like They Should

According to a new study, 67% of small business owners won’t invest in social media in 2012.

All Twitter is pointing to an infographic illustrating the findings from the study, conducted by Social Strategy 1 and OfficeArrow. The study surveyed 343 execs from companies with less than ten employees.

Here are some other findings:

– 88 percent of small business owners believe that platforms such as Twitter and Facebook do or will impact their bottom line

– 61% consider Facebook their social network of choice

– 48% for LinkedIn

– 37% for Twitter

– 14% for Google+

– Brand awareness was cited as the main reason for using the tools at 49%

– Next was lead generation at 33%

– Customer service followed closely at 32%

– Product ratings and reviews were at 17%

– 28.5% say they COULD use social media for information

– The same amount said they COULD for knowledge sharing

– 16% said they COULD for quick updates

– 12% said they COULD for customer support

– 10% said they COULD for recommendations and ratings

– 9% said they COULD for accountability

– 4% say they use social media to monitor their online presence

– About 90% use classic corporate marketing materials to get info about a business.

– Company site – 89%

– Company blog – 17%

– Industry blog – 19%

– Webinars and podcasts – 17%

– Rating and reviews – 48%

– Social media profile – 36%

– Magazines – 25%

– Newspapers – 19%

In general, it appears that small businesses are overwhelmed by social media, and are not utilizing the tools to their full potential.

Social Strategy 1 Chairman said, “The prospect of building it is daunting. Few have hired anyone who knows social media to do it for them.’